North Carolina Republican's son says warned father about operative's past');
document.write('A state probe into the election for the 9th Congressional District has uncovered the fraudulent scheme by a consultant working for the campaign of candidate Mark Harris. The probe could lead to a new election to fill the seat, which has remained vacant since state officials refused to certify Harris\' apparent victory over Democratic rival Dan McCready by 905 votes out of 282,717 ballots cast. The five-member State Board of Elections heard evidence this week that the political consultant, Leslie McCrae Dowless, hired workers to solicit and collect absentee ballots from voters in violation of state law.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Girl's death haunted police until arrest made 45 years later');
document.write('SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Investigators searched for decades for the killer of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while walking home from summer school in a case that gripped a California seaside community.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Pakistan bans groups linked to Mumbai attack suspects');
document.write('Pakistan on Thursday banned two groups believed to be fronts for the group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, amid heightened pressure on Islamabad to act against militants. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were designated \"proscribed organisations\", the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered officials to accelerate action against banned groups. JuD and FIF are considered by the UN to be fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group accused by Washington and New Delhi of carrying out the Mumbai attack, which killed 166 people and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Trump's climate expert is wrong: The world's plants don't need more CO2');
document.write('Plants on Earth have flourished for hundreds of millions of years, yet President Donald Trump's pick to lead his new climate team insists that they need more carbon dioxide to thrive. Princeton physicist and carbon dioxide-advocate William Happer has been selected to head the brand new Presidential Committee on Climate Security, reports The Washington Post. The atomic scientist — who achieved recognition for his work on atomic collisions and telescope optics, not climate science — maintains that the planet's atmosphere needs significantly more CO2, the potent greenhouse gas that U.S. government scientists — and a bevy of independent scientists — have repeatedly underscored is stoking accelerating climate change. Because plants use carbon dioxide to live, Happer has said "more CO2 is actually a benefit to the Earth," asserted that Earth is experiencing a "CO2 famine," and concluded that "If plants could vote, they would vote for coal." Earth and plant scientists, however, find Happer's insistence that the plant kingdom would benefit from increased carbon dioxide wrong-headed and lacking evidence, at best. For reference, Earth's CO2 concentrations have skyrocketed in the last century, and are now at their highest levels in at least 800,000 years — though other measurements show CO2 levels are higher than they've been in 15 million years. "The idea that increased CO2 is universally beneficial [to plants] is very misguided," Jill Anderson, an evolutionary ecologist specializing in plant populations at the University of Georgia, said in an interview. Animation showing the evolution of global mean temperature vs. carbon dioxide concentration since 1850, now updated to include 2018.Though 2018 is a bit cooler than recent years, it still is one of the warmest years ever and lies close to the trend line of #GlobalWarming. pic.twitter.com/eK7zvUqWyT — Robert Rohde (@RARohde) February 10, 2019 "It's a silly argument," added Britton Stephens, a senior scientist in the Earth Observing Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in an interview. Both independent academic institutions and government agencies around disparate parts of the globe have concluded more carbon dioxide will "bring many negative impacts" to plant environments, Stephens emphasized. "If someone is going to claim it's good, it's incumbent upon them to show evidence." Reached by email, Happer said he would like to chat about the benefits of carbon dioxide in the future, but such requests must now be sent through (and vetted) by the National Security Council (NSC). The NSC responded by saying that "At the moment, a discussion on this topic is not possible. If someone, like Happer, were to ignore uncomfortable realities like drought-ravaged crops, some of the deadliest wildfires on record, and the evaporating Colorado River, they could argue that some plants — but not all plants — could see growth benefits from amassing carbon dioxide concentrations. SEE ALSO: The Green New Deal: Historians weigh in on the immense scale required to pull it off "If we were to hold other environmental factors completely constant, some plants would do well, some plants would do worse, and some would outcompete other plants," said Anderson. But this is a reality that doesn't exist. "We know that CO2 isn’t increasing in isolation," said Anderson. Eighteen of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record. Both wild plants and crops are experiencing increased flooding, heat waves, and pestilence. "CO2 does “fertilize” plants and by itself causes plants to grow faster, but unchecked CO2 release into the atmosphere will lead to reduced yields and the consequences could be catastrophic," Thomas Sharkey, a plant biochemist at Michigan State University, said over email. Baseball spring training starts this week.Predicting today whether CO2 in 2100 will be ~1000 ppm, or only half that, is like guessing who will play in the World Series in October.Nonetheless, the consequences of our CO2 emissions over the next few decades are profound. pic.twitter.com/pUf5VVlBAk — Kris Karnauskas (@OceansClimateCU) February 19, 2019 Sharkey noted that pollen production — which is necessary for making seeds — is sensitive to even small increases in the average temperature. "The negatives far outweigh the positives," added Stephens. As might be evident to anyone alive on the planet, plants flourish today and have flourished for hundreds of millions of years, so Happer's suggestion that the planet's vegetation is in need of more carbon dioxide is bizarre. "Obviously plants were doing just fine historically," said Anderson. "There’s no indication plants are increasing their performance and doing better now than historically." A NASA graph showing skyrocketing CO2 levels. Image: nasa A recent NASA study found that Earth's overall greening over the last two decades — which is to say the increase in area covered by green leaves — is largely due to major tree planting programs and agricultural expansion in China and India. And some new regions of the planet are greening as the planet warms, like vast swaths of the northern tundra. But globally, the jury's still out on whether increased carbon dioxide is having a measurable influence on plant growth. "This is not a huge signal that everyone can see," said Stephens. There are extremely conspicuous climate signals, however, that everyone can see. One of the most widely-predicted consequences of a warming climate, stoked by historically-high carbon dioxide emissions, is increased fire weather. The California town of Paradise fell victim to profoundly dried-out vegetation and hot temperatures this past November. The forests had been turned to tinder, waiting to burn. Is more CO2 really good for plants? "Tell that to the trees in Paradise, California," said Stephens. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end? ');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Pope Francis Lays Out Plan to Combat Sex Abuse in Church');
document.write('On Thursday, the opening day of a Vatican summit addressing the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy, Pope Francis laid out a 21-point plan to combat the crisis battering the Church in almost all corners of the world.“We hear the cry of the little ones asking for justice,” Francis said. "We sense the weight of the pastoral and ecclesial responsibility that obliges us to discuss together, in a synodal, frank, and in-depth manner, how to confront this evil afflicting the Church and humanity. The holy people of God looks to us, and expects from us not simple and predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures to be undertaken."Some of the recommendations Francis listed include informing the civil authorities and higher ecclesiastical authorities about incidents of abuse, protecting and offering support to victims, raising the minimum age for marriage to 16, and setting up protocols to handle various situations.The Vatican’s top sex-crimes investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, called Francis's "reflection points" a "road map for our discussion."The four-day summit, dubbed “The Protection of Minors in the Church,” has gathered 190 Church leaders from around the world. Francis has said that the summit is designed to determine “how best to protect children, to avoid these tragedies, to bring healing and restoration to the victims, and to improve the training imparted in seminaries.”"May the Virgin Mary enlighten us as we seek to heal the grave wounds that the scandal of pedophilia has caused, both in the little ones and in believers," the pope said in his opening speech.Francis has been excoriated by large swaths of the Church for his tepid response to new, shocking revelations over the past year that thousands of priests abused minors and adult seminarians and that certain Church leaders, including possibly Francis himself, covered up their crimes.However, in December, Francis ordered abusers to turn themselves in to civil authorities.“To those who abuse minors I would say this: Convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice,” the pope said in his Christmas address to the Vatican Curia.The Survivor's Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) released a statement critical of the new plan, saying that it is not adequate and will likely be ignored."We have heard these words before," SNAP said. "Formalizing these points into policy is meaningless without any willingness to back them up with punishment."');
document.write('

Saudi Crown Prince Set to Arrive in China as Asian Tour Rolls On');
document.write('The visit will include a meeting with President Xi Jinping and a high-level joint dialogue aimed at boosting relations after the nations agreed to promote a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. China overtook the U.S. as the kingdom’s biggest trading partner in 2013. The world’s most populous nation accounted for about 15 percent of all Saudi imports and exports last year compared with 8 percent a decade earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.');
document.write('

Canada looks to reunite Syrian family after fire claims seven kids');
document.write('Canada is looking to quickly bring over siblings of a Syrian refugee distraught over the loss of her seven children in a Halifax house fire, the prime minister said Thursday. \"The immigration minister is seized with this particular case,\" Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when asked if Ottawa would fast-track the immigration or asylum process to bring the woman\'s brothers to Canada in order to provide her with family support. The family was among tens of thousands of Syrian refugees welcomed by Canada over the past four years.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Britain, EU closer to possible agreement on Brexit: EU diplomats');
document.write('The backstop is an insurance policy designed to avoid border controls between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland after Brexit. \"We are also looking at updating the declaration on future EU-UK ties after Brexit to give more prominence to the \'alternative arrangements\' sought by Britain,\" said one EU diplomat who deals with Brexit. \"But May won\'t get any firm wording before Feb. 28.\" A second diplomat, briefed on the May-Juncker talks on Wednesday evening, confirmed the EU would only signal this was the direction of travel before the British prime minister faces another round of Brexit votes in the UK parliament.');
document.write('

Civilians, including many children, leave IS-held enclave');
document.write('BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) — Young girls and boys stared out of the back of trucks, their faces dirty, their eyes filled with terror, exhaustion and uncertainty, as hundreds of men, women and children were evacuated from the Islamic State group's last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday. The evacuation may signal an imminent end to the territorial rule of the militants self-declared "caliphate" that once stretched across much of Syria and Iraq.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refuses to back Bernie Sanders for 2020 election run against Trump');
document.write('Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has refused to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic nomination, despite working on the senator’s first presidential campaign. A spokesperson for Ms Ocasio-Cortez, like Mr Sanders a self-described democratic socialist, refused to comment directly on the 77-year-old’s Tuesday announcement he is running for a second time. “We’re excited to see so many progressives in the race,” spokesperson Corbin Trent said.');
document.write('

Cardinal calls for global recognition of sex abuse in Catholic Church');
document.write('A leading cardinal acknowledged the global scale of the child sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church on Friday, on the second day of a landmark summit at the Vatican on tackling paedophilia in the clergy. The refusal by some bishops -- notably in Asia and Africa -- to admit clerical paedophilia was an issue in their countries was unacceptable, Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias told the extraordinary summit. No bishop may say to himself, \'This problem of abuse in the Church does not concern me, because things are different in my part of the world\',\" he said.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

IRS Analyst Charged with Leaking Michael Cohen’s Bank Records to Avenatti');
document.write('An Internal Revenue Service analyst was charged Thursday with leaking confidential reports that revealed President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen sought to profit from his White House access.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California charged analyst John Fry for leaking a suspicious activity report (SAR) to Michael Avenatti, the attorney who represented pornographer Stormy Daniels in her defamation case against President Trump.Avenatti published the SAR on Twitter last May, revealing to the public that Cohen set up a shell company known as Essential Consultants in order to collect payments from a number of corporations hoping to influence Trump administration policy. Cohen used the same shell company to make a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels.During the Trump campaign and transition period, Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporations, including Korea Aerospace Industries, AT&T, and Columbus Nova, a New York affiliate of the Russian corporation Renova Group which is owned by a Russian oligarch who donated to Trump's campaign and has been sanctioned by the U.S.According to the indictment filed Thursday, Avenatti also shared Fry's information with the New Yorker's Ronan Farrow.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Working While Receiving Social Security Disability');
document.write('To become eligible for Social Security disability benefits, you must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity. \"It is possible to qualify for Social Security disability benefits and still work in a limited capacity,\" says Nick Ortiz, a board-certified Social Security disability attorney and owner of Ortiz Law Firm in Pensacola, Florida. Read on for a look at what\'s involved with Social Security disability benefits, as well as the rules related to working while receiving benefits.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Funeral held for youngest victim of factory shooting');
document.write('SHERIDAN, Ill. (AP) — A small funeral home was packed with hundreds of mourners for a 21-year-old college student who was killed on the first day of his internship when a worker opened fire inside an Illinois manufacturing facility.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Venezuela's Maduro starts shutting borders to block humanitarian aid');
document.write('Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela\'s legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro\'s government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries. Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela\'s key border with Colombia and would close the country\'s other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access. The government has said soldiers will be stationed at official crossing points to repel any \"territorial violations\", although the opposition could attempt to cross anywhere along Venezuela\'s porous borders.');
document.write('

Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, warns Emmanuel Macron');
document.write('France is to recognise anti-Zionism, the denial of the state of Israel, as a form of anti-Semitism in response to a surge in acts against Jews not seen “since the Second World War”. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also promised new legislation in May to fight hate speech on the Internet, which could see platforms such as Facebook and Twitter fined for every minute they fail to take down racist or violent content. Speaking at the annual meeting of France’s largest Jewish organization, CRIF, Mr Macron said that France and other countries in Europe had recently witnessed "a resurgence of anti-Semitism that is probably unprecedented since World War II.” “We have denounced it a lot, adopted plans, passed laws sometimes. But we haven’t been able to act efficiently,” he said. While stopping short of calling for new legislation, the President said the working definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help guide police forces, magistrates and teachers in their daily work. That definition stipulates that anti-Semitism can take the form of "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour”. "Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism,” said Mr Macron. "Behind the negation of Israel's existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews.” Such guidelines in no way infringed on people’s right to criticise to the Israeli government and its policies, he said. Mr Macron also said that his party would introduce a bill in parliament in May to force social media to withdraw hate speech posted online and use all available means to identify the authors "as quickly as possible.” Digital minister Mounir Mahjoubi said: “There will be an obligation for results: if the content is not taken down then there will be a fine, and a large fine,” Mr Mahjoubi told France Info radio. “Each minute that content remains online, it increases the harm to society. Twenty-four hours is far too long.” Anti-Semitic acts surged by 74 per cent last year in France, according to government figures Credit: Getty Images Europe France has been pressuring Internet companies to better regulate their content ever since a series of terror attacks starting in 2015. The recent “yellow vest” protests have largely been orchestrated online. Many postings have included links to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and anti-vaccine messages, as well as a string of conspiracy theories. Mr Macron’s speech came a day after thousands attended rallies across France to denounce a rise in anti-Semitic acts and in a week in which almost 100 gravestones spray-painted with swastikas were discovered in a Jewish village cemetery in eastern France. The number of anti-Semitic incidents rose last year by 74 per cent from 311 in 2017 to 541, the government announced last week.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Driver hurt by air bag shrapnel as investigation drags on');
document.write('DETROIT (AP) — Nearly four years ago, the U.S. government's highway safety agency began investigating air bag inflators made by ARC Automotive of Tennessee when two people were hit by flying shrapnel after crashes.');
document.write('

Trump: Release of Russia probe report up to attorney general');
document.write('President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the newly confirmed US attorney general should be the person who decides whether to publicly release the much-anticipated Russia report, which could be completed as early as next week. The remarks came as CNN reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who has headed the probe since May 2017, could deliver his final report next week, possibly when Trump travels to Asia for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Asked at the White House whether Mueller should release the text while the president is out of the country, a subdued Trump said \"that will be totally up to the new attorney general,\" Bill Barr.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Southwest Air Drops on $60 Million Hit From U.S. Shutdown');
document.write('The political stalemate that ended last month will reduce first-quarter revenue by $60 million as the aftereffects lingered on, Southwest said in a regulatory filing Wednesday. “With more of first quarter under our belt now, and a higher percentage of March bookings in place, we feel like we are at the point where we can reasonably quantify the total impact from the shutdown,” Southwest said by email.');
document.write('

Israel's Netanyahu to meet Putin in Moscow next week -statement');
document.write('Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Feb. 27, Netanyahu\'s office said on Thursday, with the focus likely to be on Middle East issues led by Syria. At the time, the Kremlin said Netanyahu and Putin were to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including Syria.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

How to Determine Whether a Warehouse Club Membership is Worth It');
document.write('Warehouse clubs such as Sam\'s Club, Costco and BJ\'s Wholesale Club are marketed to consumers as great places to find bargains on all kinds of goods, particularly items sold in bulk. Many discount grocers offer comparable prices on the goods you can find at a warehouse club. For most customers, there are three major areas that will provide enough savings throughout the year to pay for a warehouse club membership.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Pakistan military warns India against 'misadventure'');
document.write('Pakistan\'s military warned India on Friday against any \"misadventure\", saying it was capable of responding to any threats as tensions continue to simmer between the two nuclear-armed nations. \"We hope you will not mess up with us,\" military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a press briefing in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, the second strong message Pakistan has sent to New Delhi in as many days. Tensions have risen in the days following a suicide attack in Kashmir that killed 41 Indian paramilitaries and was claimed by Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), based in Pakistan.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Obama joined by Curry to tell minority boys 'you matter'');
document.write('OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told a roomful of minority boys on Tuesday that they matter and urged them to make the world a better place.');
document.write('

French TV cuts Facebook live feed from Jewish cemetery after anti-Semitic abuse');
document.write('\"Our country is confronted with a resurgence of anti-Semitism undoubtedly without precedent since the Second World War,\" President Emmanuel Macron said later on Tuesday in an annual speech to Jewish leaders in France. France 3 television said it went live from the first cemetery in the village of Quatzenheim on Tuesday as President Emmanuel Macron was visiting to pay his respects after more than 90 graves were vandalized with swastikas and anti-Semitic abuse. \"We are talking about explicit death threats, comments that were openly anti-Semitic and racist, including \"Heil Hitler\", \"dirty Jew\" or \"dirty Jews\", comments that were addressed at Emmanuel Macron and representatives of the Jewish community,\" the channel said in a statement explaining its decision.');
document.write('

Masood Azhar, militant leader at the heart of the Kashmir crisis');
document.write('For eight days in 1999 the world watched in horror as hijackers diverted an Indian Airlines flight to Afghanistan and held the passengers hostage, the drama ending only when Delhi agreed to release three Kashmiri militants. Nearly 20 years later, India is still paying the price for that decision. One of the militants freed was Masood Azhar, who later went on to found Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the militant group which claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in three decades in Indian-held Kashmir.');
document.write('

');
document.write('

Day one highlights from Milan Fashion Week');
document.write('Hot on the heels of Benetton, which opened Milan Fashion Week Tuesday, February 20, fashion houses Gucci, Alberto Zambelli, Annakiki, Alberta Ferretti and Moncler showed their fall/winter 2019-2020 collections in the Italian city. This first official day reiterated certain trends spotted in New York and London with some colorful displays, notably at Byblos and Annakiki, mixing bright shades and prints, as well as at Gucci. Like in London and New York, plays on volume and proportion -- especially with outerwear designs -- were also on the agenda in Milan, with several extravagant pieces covered with frills and furbelows.');
document.write('

Deadly crackdown stokes fear among protesters in Venezuela');
document.write('CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Jhonny Godoy had taken to Twitter to proclaim his opposition to President Nicolas Maduro, posting a video that showed him running through the streets waving the national flag as protests erupted across Venezuela's capital.');
document.write('

U.S. won't partner with countries that use Huawei systems: Pompeo');
document.write('U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday warned that the United States would not be able to partner with or share information with countries that adopt Huawei Technologies Co Ltd systems, citing security concerns. In an interview on Fox Business Network, Pompeo said nations in Europe and elsewhere need to understand the risks of implementing Huawei\'s telecommunications equipment and that when they did, they would ultimately not use the company\'s systems. \"If a country adopts this and puts it in some of their critical information systems, we won\'t be able to share information with them, we won\'t be able to work alongside them,\" Pompeo said.');
document.write('

Putin threatens to target West with new missiles');
document.write('Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to deploy new missiles against Western capitals as he delivered a state of the nation address Wednesday aimed at boosting falling approval ratings. The longtime Russian leader warned Washington against deploying any new missiles in Europe following the collapse of a key Cold War-era treaty, saying Moscow would consider it a \"serious threat\". \"I\'m saying this clearly and openly, Russia will be forced to deploy weapons that can be used... against the decision-making centres that are behind the missile systems which threaten us,\" Putin said.');
document.write('

U.N. permits North Koreans to travel to Vietnam for Trump summit');
document.write('The 15-member Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke funding for Pyongyang\'s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, banning exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and capping imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products. Under the sanctions, 12 North Koreans are subject to a global travel ban and asset freeze. While it was not known if any of them will travel to Vietnam, the council\'s North Korea sanctions committee approved Vietnam\'s request for a blanket exemption, according to an internal document dated Tuesday seen by Reuters.');
document.write('